KATY, Texas – On Dec. 8, low temperatures in Houston were near 60 degrees and highs topped off at 70 degrees. It was seemingly great weather for a bike ride but Steven Blum’s day took a downturn as he rode along Mason Creek Trail that day.
According to documents, Blum was bicycling east on the bike and walking trail, south of the 22100 block of Kingsland Blvd., and was going about 20 mph when he crossed paths with a shirtless man who was running in the opposite direction.
Blum passed the man, with no issues, saying “rider, rider” to alert pedestrians that he was behind them. He said he continued on to the end, then had to turn around and go back the way he came.
When he encountered the jogger again, this time, the man was armed with a metal pipe.
Blum said as he passed by, the jogger swung the pipe at him, striking the front tire of his bike, almost causing him to crash.
WATCH: GoPro video catches the shirtless jogger attacking the bicyclist with a metal pipe
Blum said the jogger continued running after him, still armed with the pipe, but he managed to pedal away.
Blum called for help when he was a safe distance away.
When Harris County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene, Blum told them his version of what happened and described his alleged attacker. He said the man was wearing no shirt, had on dark pants and had a tattoo on his lower torso.
Blum also had cameras attached to the front and back of his bicycle, and provided the footage as evidence.
Documents detail what the cameras show. A person was seen holding a four-to five-foot-long metal pipe with both hands. He then plants both feet on the ground and appears to take a baseball batting stance and swings the pipe at the front tire of the bike, near Blum’s right leg. The rear camera shows the attacker dropped the pipe after striking the bike, but picked it back up and ran after Blum as he pedaled away.
Deputies found a man matching the description of the attacker running in the 22000 block of Cimarron Pkwy, directly south of the assault scene. The man was detained for questioning and placed in a patrol car until Blum was brought to the area, at which time, Blum positively identified his attacker.
The alleged attacker, Zachary Nulisch, 30, has been charged with aggravated assault.
In addition, Blum’s bike sustained damage to the front tire, causing a spoke to break, and the front wheel was bent. The front fork on the bike was also dented and the paint was chipped. The damages to the carbon fiber bike were estimated at $1,000, according to documents.
Nulisch is scheduled to appear in court in January.